


All it takes is one big important loss in an unbroken succession of victories

by Tabata



Series: Leoverse [87]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Human Trafficking, M/M, Slaves
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-10
Updated: 2018-02-10
Packaged: 2019-03-16 08:23:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13632444
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabata/pseuds/Tabata
Summary: Blaine's been gone eight months. He's fighting the war, and Leo and Cody are left back home wondering how he's doing and where he is. Until one day they receive a visit from Blaine's father, Lord Anderson, and his presence puts everything in perspective - even worrying for Blaine.





	All it takes is one big important loss in an unbroken succession of victories

**Author's Note:**

> **WARNING:** This story is an AU from the original 'verse. What happens in here has little to none correlation with what happens in Leonard Karofsky-Hummel VS The world or Broken Heart Syndrome. The characters involved are (mostly) the same, but situations and relationships between them may be completely different.  
>  As my better half perfectly explained already for Walk through the fire, in this 'verse, Blaine is a high society Lord in some sort of post-medieval/fantasy-ish AU. He was the Supreme General of the Army but now he's retired and his job is to teach new recruits the Art of War. Against his father's advice, he married Cody, a kid half his age and to add layers of shame upon layers of shame he ended up keeping the sex slave his bff Sam gave him as an ironic present for his wedding. Then the kids proceeded to suck him into a threesome and at that point Blaine's life was over.

All the flowers in the garden are already blooming because Spring is a bit early this year and a little warmer too. They used to call a gardener at the beginning of every season and have him work on the garden, but Blaine obviously couldn't be bothered with that this time around. And yet, except for a few overgrown patches, all the flower beds are exploding with colors, the cherry trees near the pond Cody loves so much are the cutest pink he has ever seen in years and even the lonely weeping willow that threats to give up life every single year is doing just fine.

Cody feels very angry at the world that goes on day after day as if nothing happened, when he instead is holding his breath since Blaine left eight months ago and he feels like he might not breathe ever again. He knows that it's stupid to resent the changing seasons, but he doesn't have anything else to blame. He can't protest with the government because they would laugh at him – War is an honor to them and a good husband should be proud of his man going to defend his country – and he can't hate Blaine either, because he didn't want to go but had no other choice. So, the seasons will have to do.

For the records, he is proud of Blaine but he doesn't need him to go to war for that. In fact, he hates the war. And despite being aware that war is Blaine's job and that it was the war – or anything related to it – that gave them most of the things they have right now, he also thought that Blaine was done with it and rightly so. He had already fought. He had already risked his life several times. He had served and taught and worked his hardest for the army. And it was wonderful that he had already done all those things before Cody was there to suffer from them so much. It was time for Blaine to rest. He deserved it. It is twice as annoying to have to endure this wait and knowing he was supposed to be past that.

The conscription letter arrived at the beginning of autumn and this is officially the longest Blaine has ever been away from Cody, who religiously keeps count of the days, even if it pains him to be aware of how much time has really passed. Blaine kept the letter hidden from him and Leo for weeks before telling them – during the first and only trip the three of them have ever done so far – that he had been called back to the front. As he explained, he wanted to get his affairs in order before he left, so that Cody and Leo could get on without him, just in case.

Cody hates those three words, _just in case_ , because what they really mean is actually _if I die_ , which is a thought that he never really allows to cross his mind. But he knows that Blaine was very thoughtful and very responsible – but then again, he always is – in doing that because in their current situation they can't afford to be unprepared and, as practical and unromantic as it might sound, matters of money, possessions and estate had to be settled before goodbyes and last moments shared. Especially when love and property are one and the same with regard to Leo, who is legally a fully-fledged part of the estate in the same way as the furniture is.

Blaine made it so that, among hundreds of other things, Cody can now decide for everything regarding Leo, from his wellbeing to his slave status. In case it was needed, Cody could legally free him or – but that's never going to happen, of course – sell him to someone else. This was necessary not only because Leo is a slave and the law requires his owner to decide for him, but also because in the event of Lord Anderson – Blaine's father – someway taking control of the household, Cody must have enough power to prevent the old man from harming their lover in any way as he would surely do.

Lord Anderson hates Leo for the simple fact that Blaine doesn't treat him like a slave but like a second husband, and Leo is unfortunately not wise enough to keep his hate for him hidden. Cody knows that if it came down to keep the man away from Leo, he would have to do something he's not sure he's ready to do – namely, send Leo away – and yet it's reassuring to know that, if he couldn't save or control anything else, at least he could take care of Leo as Leo is taking care of him right now. 

Since Blaine left, Leo took it upon himself to be there for Cody whenever he needs him. He makes sure to be always as cheerful as he can – which is not _that much_ but he does get angry less – and to always clown around as he does when they are alone in the house and Blaine is just out for some errands and not some hundreds miles away risking his life. He helps him out with all the official matters that Cody doesn't have to deal with in public and he tries to ease his life as much as he can. Leo is really trying to be strong for both of them and Cody knows that he couldn't do it without him. They also have way more sex, which was to be expected since sex is Leo's way to deal with any kind of emotion, but Cody doesn't mind that. Leo is always very wild when he's alone with him, and that more than anything else manages to take his mind off of everything.

“What are you doing up?” Leo's voice has the lower and softer tones of sleep, and he sounds a bit confused. Waking up alone in the bed always makes him feel lost. He doesn't like it, because there was a time – just a little over a year ago, actually, but it feels like another life – when Blaine didn't let him sleep with them and Leo was hurting because of that. Cody found out very early in their relationship that Leo is very easily triggered because every little thing that happens to him leaves a scar inside of him. Blaine always says that he might look stronger than Cody, but he's actually more fragile.

“I couldn't sleep,” Cody answers with a sigh. He turns around and tries to smile at him, even if he's not sure Leo can see him in the darkness.

“It's not even dawn,” Leo mumbles, rubbing his eyes hard. Dawn is already an unreasonably early hour for him to wake up, so he can't understand being awake and out of bed at any moment before that. “Come back to bed.”

Cody obediently walks back to the four poster bed, literally a huge cube decorated with two sets of white curtains that takes up at least one-quarter of the room, which is a lot considering the bedroom is a little apartment in itself. After the wedding the bed was smaller, but later on Blaine had to order a new one because that wouldn't fit all three of them properly. Plus, what is now the wardrobe – basically an entire room inside the bedroom – was Leo's room, and he had permission to dismantle it himself when Blaine finally decided to repurpose it. More changes have been made in this room in the past twelve months than in the whole house in the past ten.

Leo waits for him to be near the bed, then he grabs his arm and pulls him onto it. Cody whines a little because he's in no mood to be treated like a doll, but he does it so unconvincingly that Leo doesn't stop and ends up shutting him up with a messy kiss. Cody is getting so used to the way Leo demands his lips when they are alone that he's sure it will be weird to go back to the more controlled way Leo taught himself to kiss him in front of Blaine, since Blaine still can't stand Leo's fierceness with him.

“Why don't you let me brood every once in a while?” Cody pouts as Leo pulls him in his arms first and then under the mess he made of the blankets in his sleep.

“Because brooding makes you ugly,” Leo answers, promptly, as he wraps his arms around him. “And then brooding is my thing.”

“Oh, you have the exclusive?” Cody asks, searching for Leo's shirt and closing his fingers around it.

“Nobody told you?” Leo leaves a kiss on his neck, but there's no intention to go any further in it, just the desire to cuddle him, Cody can tell. It's indeed really too early for Leo to do anything but sleep if he doesn't even wake up for the chance of sex. “I'm the official brooder of the house.”

“Until he comes back,” Cody whispers, quickly falling asleep in the nest of Leo's arms.

“Until he comes back,” Leo nods. Only then Cody can close is eyes, as if those words were a spell they cast every morning and every night to wish Blaine home.

*

Cody is dreaming about Blaine building a swing for him and Leo in their private garden, so the banging on the bedroom door turns into the sound of Blaine hammering a few nails in the wood to fix the structure of the swing. Blaine is shirtless and the image of him is so clear that he can see tiny drops of sweat trickling down his spine. Scratch that, his husband is so clear in his mind that he can smell his tanned skin, made warmer by the sun. 

The swing is very simple and it stands close to the willow tree. Nobody told him, but in the dream he knows that Blaine didn't want to just tie two ropes to one of the branches because it wasn't safe enough for him. That is why he built the structure to hang the swing from. The ropes are decorated with vines and the seat has a little cushion on it. Cody hasn't tried it yet and he's sitting on a blanket on the grass, just content of looking at Blaine working. The weather is nice and every time he looks around he notices a new detail.

Now there are tea and cakes on the blanket, and his sketchbook. So, they had a picnic and he was drawing, and Blaine took the chance to build something Cody has wanted for years. Part of him knows that something is missing, but everything else is so perfect that he can't put his finger on it. But Blaine's not hammering anymore, so the banging is out of place. And the voice too.

“Young master?”

Cody would like to cling to his dream, but the voice is stronger and is making it disappear. Blaine's image is weaker and weaker until what's left is the bedroom and he realizes he opened his eyes. Next to him, Leo is furiously rubbing his eyes.

“It's the maid,” he informs him. “I don't know what she wants, she seems agitated.”

Still confused and with a weird, heavy feeling gnawing at the pit of his stomach, he sighs and gets ready for whatever the morning brought, apparently, on the very doorstep of their bedroom. “Come in, Harper.”

Harper is the blond young maid that Leo hates, reciprocated. Cody is so used to their constant bickering and neverending cold war that he doesn't even notice Harper's disgusted face when she sees Leo in bed with him and Leo glaring at her in response.

He is confused, tho, when she says, “Lord Anderson is here, sir.” For a moment he really believes his husband returned from the war and the little somersault his heart makes must show up on his face, because Harper promptly adds, “It's Lord Blaine's father, young master.”

Leo makes a face. “What's the old hag doing here? Did he finally realize our house is not crumbling even without is wise counsel and come to blame us for that?”

Harper glares at him again, but she hates Lord Anderson as much as anyone else – the man does exactly nothing to make people love him, after all – and that's the only thing she and Leo can agree on. “He showed up unannounced,” she explains to Cody. “He settled himself in Lord Blaine's office and he requested your presence.”

Cody dies a little inside. Talking with people is never easy for him, but Lord Anderson has a way of making him feel especially inadequate, which obviously makes any conversation with him dull on his part. He knows the man always leaves the house thinking less of him than when he arrived. “I see. Tend to his every need, Harper, please,” he says to the maid. “I'll be there in a second.”

Harper bows politely and leaves the room, no doubt to try and give the old lord no more reasons to complain. Cody sighs, getting out of bed. “I'm coming with you,” Leo says, getting out of bed too. Half of his clothes are scattered around the room and he's already picking them up with the clear intention of wearing them again. As if he could be in Lord Anderson's presence in civil clothes, and one-day old to booth.

Cody winces as he chooses the most prudish outfit from the wardrobe. He really wishes Leo had made it an offer not one of his statements. It would be easier to turn him down that way. “He just came here to check on me,” he says, putting on a pair of matching shoes. “I'm sure he's dying to tell me how unworthy I am of this house and of his son. I can deal with that just fine.”

“That is why I'm coming with you,” Leo insists. He stopped wearing slave clothes in the house more than six months ago, but he hates to be fully clothed anyway. He says the place is too hot for him to be so covered. So, out of every outfit he owns, he always wears only a couple of pieces. For example, there was a light jacket that went together with that pants-and-shirt set, but it must be lost in the wardrobe somewhere. And he hates shoes, he only wears them if they go out.

Cody knows Lord Anderson would be more than horrified to witness the carelessness with which Leo wears clothes that he should worship just for the simple fact that someone allowed him to wear them. “I want him out of the house as soon as possible,” Cody says as nicely as he can.

That, at least, makes Leo stop and turn around, the saddest expression in his eyes. “I'm just trying to help.”

“I know that,” Cody sighs and gets closer to him to stroke his face. “But you'll help me more if he doesn't see you. I don't want to risk his rage for you when Blaine is not around.”

Strangely enough, Leo understands. If Blaine had been there, he would have put his foot down and demanded to go. It's always a matter of principle for him to force Blaine to parade him under his father's nose. But Blaine can take it, Cody can't. And so he agrees to stay behind. “Alright, I'll be here, pretending to be a piece of furniture until you return.”

“Why don't you write another piece of your story for me, instead?” Cody suggests. Leo asked for some paper and a pen some time ago – which prompted a gaffe from Blaine who thought he could only read – and started writing, apparently for himself. When Cody found out he was writing stories, he insisted for days until Leo gave up and let him read them. Now Leo writes for him as he does pretty much anything else. 

“Have you been good enough for a story?”

“What if I promise I will be good later?” Cody asks, and then he blushes up to the tip of his ears. Sometimes words escape his lips before he has the time to realize what he is saying. Those are the times Leo laughs in a way that makes his belly warm.

“That will do for me.”

*

Lord Anderson just didn't _settle_ in Blaine's office, he took it over with three other men that are now standing on the side. He himself is sitting behind Blaine's desk, which he freed of Blaine's things to place a huge book and a pen that are probably his. For the first time in his life Cody feels a fit of hate so strong that is hard to push it back down.

“Lord Anderson,” Cody performs the short bow of his head that is required from him in front of older people of his same caste. “Did you call for me?”

“I wouldn't have had to if you were a slightly less lousy host,” Lord Anderson replies. “A man of my standing should have been welcomed at the door by the lord of the house or, in his absence, by his wife or husband.”

Cody knows all the rules perfectly well. He's nothing if not extremely well educated in tending to the house and the guests. Lord Anderson should have sent someone to announce his visit – that would have been the proper thing to do on his part – but they're both well aware of that and he's only daring Cody to call him out, which he won't do because you never embarrass your guests, no matter how annoying they are. “I thought you would have preferred to be treated as part of the family, something you certainly are, and not as a mere guest, although revered,” he murmurs with another bow. “It was an honest mistake for which I apologize.”

Lord Anderson must recognize that Cody played it really well because he gets even more annoyed. There is nothing that makes him angrier than his jabs not hitting the target. He clears his throat and proceeds to open the book in front of him. “I only wanted to inform you, as a courtesy, that I am here to take over the management of the household and of my son's property.”

Cody is ready for this. Besides, the old man never comes to just visit, he always wants something. It was only a matter of time before he would show up asking about the house and property now that Blaine is away. In fact, Cody was expecting him much earlier than today. “I appreciate your concern for my husband's assets, sir, but there was no need for you to bother yourself coming all the way down here,” he says with the softest tone he knows, full of fake gratitude. “Blaine explained to me all I had to know and he left everything in my hands before he took his departure.”

“That is exactly why I'm concerned,” Lord Anderson says. “You don't have the education or the attitude to take care of such important matters. And, for your information, my son did not leave things in your hands at all.”

Cody frowns. He remembers perfectly well what Blaine told him and Leo a couple of weeks before leaving. He called them both in this very office and had them sit down in the armchairs in front of the desk instead of on the desk – as they would usually do – because it was an official matter. He explained to them what his fortune really amounts to, how it is divided and how it is managed by several different people because, unlike what they both thought, Blaine does not and cannot do everything by himself since, apart from the house – which is a nightmare in itself to administer – there are numerous estates and lands at his name, both within and outside the city. Plus, he takes care of financial matters regarding the army, a thing that alone takes up most of his time.

Blaine told Leo that he couldn't officially sign anything off to him – because by the law he doesn't even have a legal name anymore – but that what he was giving to Cody he was officially giving to him too. That was very wise because Leo is very smart and he actually understands how these things work. Blaine also told them the names of all the people that work for him, so they know exactly who to call when they need information on a specific matter. They have been receiving reports for the past eight months and checked every single one of them to make sure they were exactly how Blaine would have wanted them. These people know that they – well, Cody – are managing everything until Blaine gets back. So what is Lord Anderson talking about?

“Lord Anderson, forgive me for insisting, but I'm quite sure you've been misinformed,” Cody goes on, trying to remain polite. He has never contradicted his husband's father before. Then again, he has never been so sure of anything as he is now. “My husband sorted things out in order for me to manage the household and everything else in his absence.”

“It is possible,” Lord Anderson concedes, “that my son _told you_ that you could take his place while he was at war. I have no doubt he amused himself by teaching you a thing or two the same way you would teach a puppy how to sit at will. It is a thing my son would do. But, legally, he retained all his property.”

“Of course he did,” Cody says, a little bit surprised that Lord Anderson is even bringing this up. None of them has ever even thought about this option. “Giving them to me has never been the plan. Besides, I am supposed to administer what is his, not own it.”

Lord Anderson goes on as if Cody hadn't even spoken. “What he did, from a legal standpoint, was arranging that everything will be signed off to you in case of his death. But my son is still alive and well, only temporary away from home. And since there are no official documents appointing you as temporary administrator, the household and relative estate are still _technically_ in his hands, even though he can't, for reasons of force majeure, taking care of them.”

“No, no, Lord Anderson. This must be a misunderstanding,” Cody insists, reaching the bookcase. He's so upset that he doesn't even care that he has to literally push one of Lord Anderson's men aside to make room for himself. “Such a document exists. I've seen it and signed it.”

“If this is the document you are referring to,” the old man draws Cody's attention by waving a piece of white paper that he probably took out of his book, “I'm afraid to inform you that for a few minor details, that would have certainly be avoided with a better understanding of the law, the document results invalid. This is what is called a _technicality_ , which is a very important concept that you might want to be very aware of next time.”

“That is not possible!” Cody goes as close as he can to thunder with his tiny voice as he goes back to the desk and literally tears the document away from the man's old hands. He reads the whole page two times and finds nothing wrong with it. Besides, he's sure that Blaine must have checked all the details several times to be sure everything was in order. He would have never gone away leaving room for any technicality to ruin everything. “What's wrong with it?”

“What's wrong with it is that your name alone is not enough,” Lord Anderson explains, with a certain pleasure indeed, pointing at the offending line. “All your information are missing as well as a few predefined lines that should have been placed at the end of the document, as per the legislative decree issued by the government some eight months ago.”

“You mean by the time Blaine left?”

Lord Anderson presses his fingers together. “It was issued precisely two days before my son left,” he says. “But as far as the Law is concerned, ignorance is not acceptable.”

Cody closes his fists around the fabric of his robe. He doesn't know if he would really punch his father-in-law in the face, or if he would be fast and strong enough to hurt him for real, the only thing he knows for sure is that he really wants to do it, so it's better if he prevents himself from trying. Lord Anderson must have orchestrated all this down to the legislative decree that invalidates the only document that would keep him out of Blaine's business. Cody doesn't know exactly how that is possible, but he knows it is because Lord Anderson is one of the most important men in the country and everywhere there are people ready to do anything for him in exchange for something. It's not that hard to believe that those people can also be found in the government too.

“And this entails what, exactly?” He asks instead.

Lord Anderson stands up, looking way taller than Cody remembered. Power _is_ giving him a different posture after all. “It entails that as of now I'm taking over the administration of the household and estate in lieu of my son as I am the more qualified next of kin to do that.”

“Without a document nominating you as temporary administrator?” Cody asks.

“I don't need one. Being in the army, we're also under Army Law, and in absence of a valid legal proxy, the chain of command is enforced,” he explains. “It means that without a valid delegation of competences, power goes to the higher in command, which would be me, unless you have served in the army reaching a rank above mine without my knowledge.”

Of course Cody didn't. And he also has no way to check if any of what the man is saying is true or not. He has no one to ask to except Blaine, but it will take weeks between sending him a letter and receiving his answer. Even more to execute his instructions if he had any.

“Things will change around here,” Lord Anderson goes on, moving around the desk. “These men here will take over the bookkeeping, which my son greatly neglected. And you will tell them what my son taught you about his accountancy to speed up the process. Any expense will go through me first. You will receive a weekly allowance, like any other husband. A decent amount of money, of course, as it befits your status. The house will be managed properly, according to my rules, so that it might stop being such a zoo and go back to be a respectable house. Speaking of which, is that whore still here?”

*

 

“You can't do this!” Cody has been saying the same thing over and over since they left Blaine's office, but Lord Anderson didn't even turn to look at him once. He's marching down the hall, followed by two of his personal guards, and Cody did everything he could, except grabbing him by his robe, to stop him but to no avail. He starts jogging to catch up with the man, who might be old but moves really quickly. “Please, Lord Anderson. He doesn't hurt anybody.”

“He hurts your reputation, which would be of no importance to me if it wasn't attached to my son's name,” Lord Anderson finally bothers to reply. “It's a disgrace that he's even allowed to be in the house now that you're married to Blaine, but that he lives in your quarters, that is unacceptable!”

“Please,” Cody tries again, his voice strained with panic. He can deal with having to depend on Lord Anderson for everything until Blaine's return, but the idea of not being able to prevent the man from hurting Leo is terrifying. Especially considering that Leo won't give in, which will lead to disaster. “Let's write to Blaine first, ask him what he wants to do.”

“We all know what he wants to do. My son thinks it's funny to keep a prostitute around and teach him things. Once again, it's like raising puppies for him. Now that I think about it, I should give him a pack of hounds to see if he stops with this nonsense.”

Cody knows better than explain to this man how Blaine is _not_ keeping Leo around to teach him anything, that he has never done that in the first place and he's certainly not doing that now. Lord Anderson would not understand that Leo is not just a slave anymore, that he's not a toy they play with. The only thing he sees is that he was given to Blaine, and that's enough for him to make an item out of him. So, Cody doesn't even try to convince him of the contrary. But he needs to convince him of something. “Let me talk to him first,” he tries again as they get dangerously close to the door of his room. “This doesn't have to be unnecessarily ugly.”

Lord Anderson stops walking, forcing his guards to do the same unless they want to slam into him. For a moment he seems to take Cody's offer into consideration and Cody dares to hope he's going to say yes. He must like the idea of a more docile Leo, instead of a screaming demon ready to claw everybody's eyes out. Cody knows he can convince Leo to just cope with the situation long enough for him to find a solution. He only needs five minutes alone with him. But that's clearly asking too much. He just forgot for a second that Lord Anderson holds a very bad opinion of him too.

“No, the Gods know what you would do in there,” he says as he resumes walking right away. “But you can come inside and tell the slave to comply.”

When they enter the room, Leo is lying on his stomach on the floor, a bunch of pieces of paper scattered all around him on the carpet to dry as he's working on the next one, which is already halfway filled with his messy handwriting. Lord Anderson slams the door so hard against the wall that Leo looks up startled and he's quick enough to figure out the situation. “What is going on?” He asks, standing up.

“Seize him!” Lord Anderson orders, remaining on the threshold. 

The guards are on Leo in seconds. He tries to defend himself, but with no time to grab something to hit them with, there's very little he can do. He's not strong or trained enough to punch two grown men. They grab one of his arms each and hold him still “Get your hands off me!” He screams from the top of his lungs as he trashes around and kicks his legs.

“I suggest you to calm down,” Lord Anderson says, watching in disgust as Leo growls and grits his teeth. “There is nothing you can do to avoid this, so you might as well let it happen. It will be quicker for everybody.”

“What do you want?” Leo growls even louder.

“Nothing unreasonable,” Lord Anderson replies. “You had your fun at this house's expense, but the time of fun is over. Believe me, I do understand that you were led to believe you could live like one of us, and that is why I'm being lenient, but as far as your life in this quarters goes, that ends now.”

“This is my room, you old prick!” Leo roars again, launching himself against the man in front of him. Lord Anderson takes a startled step back as the guards tighten their hold on Leo's forearms. But Leo doesn't stop – Cody suddenly remembers that first night of a year ago, when Blaine brought him in their bedroom and Leo acted exactly in the same way, trying to scare him off – and so one of the guards punches him in his stomach. The blow forces Leo on his knees, where he remains, slightly bent forward, as the guards continue kicking and punching him to coerce him into submission.

“No!” Cody screams in horror for the first time this whole thing started and he joins Leo on the floor. “Please, stop! There's no need for violence! Please!”

The guards look at Lord Anderson who nods, so they stop. Leo breathes frantically, but he isn't any calmer, and that scares Cody even more. “What is happening? Why is he here?” Leo asks, his voice breaking when something inside of him hurts.

“I don't owe you an answer, but I will give you one,” Lord Anderson replies. “I'm here to administer my son's estate in his absence, and that includes you.”

“Blaine left everything to Cody,” Leo snarls.

Lord Anderson slaps him with the back of his hand, making him whine. “It is Lord Blaine for you,” he says, his face unchanged as if hitting another human being that way meant nothing to him. “And you don't have to explain to me what has been done or not. As of now, you're going back to be the salve you were supposed to be until I decide what to do with you. In the meantime, your only job will be to stay in your room. Your life has become quite easier, if you think about it.”

“This is my room!” Leo repeats, angrily. “I live here! This is my fucking home!”

Lord Anderson ignores him. “You will wear your anklets and your manacles as it is required for every sex slaves, and you will be chained during the night,” he explains to him in a cold, businesslike voice. “You will live in the sex slave quarters, which lucky for you are empty, you being the only slave currently on the premises.”

“But that place is a mess!” Cody exclaims. It dates back to when there were actually many slaves in the house – but it was ages ago! – Blaine had meant to repurpose that place for years. “He can't stay there!”

“It will be enough for him,” Lord Anderson dismisses him. Then, he offers him a box, the lid open to show it's contents. “Now, if you please, Cody.”

Cody hasn't seen these particular anklets and manacles since Leo's arrival. They are big and heavy, designed to break the slave by making his movements exhausting. He closes his eyes and when he opens them, Leo is looking at him with such desperate eyes that he feels like crying. He grabs one of Leo's hands, almost tearing it away from the guards, and closes the heavy metal ring around his wrist. “Please,” he whispers, trying to make the urgency in his voice very clear. “Do as he says, don't antagonize him. I will find a way to fix things. Just trust me.”

Thankfully, Leo nods imperceptibly and Cody feels a tad lighter. He would hug him and kiss him, but that would defeat the purpose of the words he just spoke, so he holds himself back, but makes sure that Leo can read on his body how much he would like to touch him now.

Once all the manacles and anklets are in place, Lord Anderson nods at the guards again. “Take him away,” he says. His voice drips so much pleasure that Cody feels sick.  
He needs to act, and he needs to do it fast.

*

It's well past midnight when Cody manages to slip out of his room. Lord Anderson didn't go as far as placing a guard outside his door – possibly because he doesn't have one to spare – but they seemed to be everywhere else and he had to wait for the night to have a chance to reach the old slave quarters, which are on the other side of the house, without being seen. 

The place is in ruin as he remembered. This entire wing of the house is under renovations, but this particular area has not been touched yet. Cody knows Blaine has discussed several different projects with the architects but he hasn't chosen one yet. He's not in a hurry, it's not like they need space or anything. To get to the quarters Cody needs to pass an iron gate. It used to separate the slave quarters from the rest of the house and originally it was locked, but the lock has been broken for ages, so all Cody has to do is push and the gate moves back with just a little screech. 

Beyond the gates there's a small room where there used to be a couch and a few armchairs. If there wasn't only the master's sex slave in the house, but other sex slaves as well, the master might offer them to his guests, and this room was where they would wait, either to enter the harem or to take the slaves somewhere else, which was the only time a slave was allowed to leave the place. Cody doesn't think this specific house has ever hosted a full-on harem – the books on the history of Anderson Manor don't talk about it – but he knows for sure there were sex slaves here a long long time ago. He started reading about it after Leo came along because he wanted to know more about the subject.

The harem itself – that is the set of rooms where the slaves slept – is behind two more doors. The slaves used to have the key to the second – which led to the bathrooms, among other things – but not the first. And that was pretty much all the places they could go, apart from the private gardens, but there isn't one here. Cody marches quickly through the doors, holding his lamp as high as he can because this place is very dark and the unfamiliar shapes of the furniture are really scary. He's a little proud of himself for soldiering through this, if he must be honest.

“Leo?” He calls when he reaches the harem. The light of the lamp is enough to see the line of little rooms closed only by little half curtains.

“I'm here!” Leo voice comes in full of urgency. “I can't move.”

Cody follows his voice to the last room – so typical of Lord Anderson to try and bury Leo as deep as he could inside the house – and moves the curtain aside. Inside the room there is only a bed and a little table with a chair, none of them in good conditions. The bed is not even made, and this place stinks.

Leo is sitting on the bed because he has no other choice: there is a chain tying him to a hoop hanging from the wall. Leo raises his hand, showing it to him. “It seems like he's a man of his word, after all.”

Cody leaves the lamp on the table and goes to him. “I'm so sorry,” he murmurs, placing a tiny kiss on his lips and then pressing his forehead against Leo's. The other kid wraps his free arm around Cody's waist and pulls him closer. “I tried to talk to him, but he didn't listen, and I couldn't stop him.”

“It's not your fault,” Leo says right away, stroking his back. “You can't reason with someone who does what he does just because he's a piece of shit. He came here to get rid of me, among other things. You had simply no chance to convince him not to.”

“But I did something,” Cody backs off and smiles weakly to share what little positivity he managed to scrape from the bottom of his stomach. “I wrote to Blaine and explained him the situation, but since I knew he couldn't help right away, I wrote to Alan too.”

Leo frowns. “Who?”

“You have met him once, but maybe you don't remember him because you were so angry at everything and everyone back then,” Cody says. “He is the man who brought you those sweet yellow cookies when he learned that you come from the north. I think they are called _sunrises_ or something like that. Blaine called him to make sure all the documents regarding you were in order. He is a lawyer.”

Leo suddenly remembers a handsome man with a square face, deep brown eyes and a nice laugh, who reached out to shake his hand and offered him a little basket filled with sunrises – yes, that is the name – and a little bowl of cream to dip them in. The cookies weren't typical of his region, but he appreciated the gesture anyway. This stranger had gone out of his way to bring him a piece of what he thought was Leo's home, and that was more than it could be said about Blaine at the time. It was the first time someone in that house treated him like a proper human being. But he never knew his name.

“What can he do?”

“Well, if he takes care of Blaine's legal documents, then maybe he knows something we don't to stop Lord Anderson. Besides, if he had a copy of your first contract, then it's possible that he kept one of the new one too, which can help somehow, I guess.”

“Where does he live?”

“Just outside town,” Cody answers, and somehow knowing enough things to be able to give practical information is helping him calm down. “I wrote to him hours ago and sent the letter right away. It must have reached him by now. I told him to come quickly.”

“He might not find me here, tho.”

“Why are you saying that?”

“The old hag came personally to bring me dinner,” Leo says, nodding toward a sad plate with a tiny piece of meat and literally two pieces of carrot on it, “so he could tell me that he's gonna sell me tomorrow. I think he called some slaver he knows or something.”

“He can't do that!” Cody screams it as if he could will Lord Anderson's thought to disappear merely by being outraged. “You are our property.”

Leo looks at him, his face suddenly cold. “Am I?”

Cody sighs. “You know what I mean,” he says exasperated. “Of course you're not _property_ for real, but it's good for us if he thinks you're ours. He might manage you but he can't sell you!”

“Well, apparently he wants to, so we better get ready for it,” he mumbles. “Well, me at least.”

“I won't let him do that,” Cody says, determination making his eyes even bluer. “If they take you away, they will have to take me too.”

“That's a good plan!” Leo snorts, ironically. “When Blaine will be back and will know what happened, he'll make sure to come and find me so he can kill me personally.”

“At least you won't get lost in the system.”

Leo glares at him for a few seconds and then he just chuckles, because the alternative would make him too miserable and he can't even stand to think about it. He tries to convince Cody to go back to his room, but he doesn't want to be convinced and Leo doesn't really want to send him away, so Cody stays for a couple of hours coiled up against him and they can pretend everything is fine.

*

Alan shows up first thing in the morning and finds Lord Anderson and Cody having breakfast in one of the living rooms together with Lord Anderson's lawyer and the infamous slaver, an elegant man who doesn't look the part at all and arrived at the house just a few minutes before Alan. There's an awkward silence in the room, the only noise being the clinking of cutlery. Cody doesn't feel like talking much and Lord Anderson's friends are as serious and quiet as he is. The circumstances that see them all here doesn't call for friendly conversations anyway. Cody beams the moment he sees Alan entering the room and invites him to sit down, playing deaf to Lord Anderson's protests.

“Can I at least know your name if you have to sit at my table?” The old man asks.

“My name is Alan, Lord Anderson,” he introduces himself without losing his smile or giving up his last name, as if this wasn't a formal event, diminishing more Lord Anderson than himself in doing so. They shake hands over a bowl of strawberries as a maid puts a plate, a cup and cutlery in front of Alan. “I'm your son's lawyer.”

Lord Anderson looks over at his own lawyer for a moment. “I see. I didn't quite catch why you're here.”

“I didn't say,” Alan nods, placing a napkin over his legs. He doesn't seem to feel unease at all in having crashed someone else's breakfast.

“Please do, then.”

“I heard that you're taking over the management of the house now that Blaine is at war,” Alan begins, pouring himself some coffee. “Is that correct?”

“It is correct,” Lord Anderson confirms. “According to the Army Law I can be my son's proxy.”

“That is true,” Alan nods. “But Cody was telling me that you're having some issues with a sex slave that happens to be in the house since last May.”

Lord Anderson tenses from head to toes, it's like looking at a snake rising from the ground and getting as stiff as a broom all of a sudden. “He was an unfortunate wedding gift from one of my son's friends. Nothing more than a prank, I would say. My son was amused by him, I don't know exactly why, and he kept him around, which created some inconvenience, as you might guess. But I'm taking care of it. My dear friend here deals in slaves and he will take a look a the boy after breakfast.”

The man nods towards Alan, who smiles at him. “I'm sure you are a great slaver,” he says, not refraining from the bad word at all, “but I'm afraid Leo can't be sold, Lord Anderson.”  
Cody is following the conversation as if it was a tennis match, so his head instantly turns towards the old man to catch his reaction. Lord Anderson stiffs even more, so much that Cody starts hoping to see his body snap in two. It's so obvious that the man is not used to be contradicted that it's almost comical. “Well, I'm afraid you've been misinformed, Lord Alan.”

“Just Alan, please,” the lawyer keeps smiling politely the more Lord Anderson scowls. “I couldn't be numbered among noblemen by any stretch of the imagination.”

“Well, Alan, the slave is part of my son's estate and, as its temporary administrator, I will do with him as I see fit. My son married young Lord Cody here, as I'm sure you know, so neither my son nor anybody else in the house has no longer use for a prostitute.”

Alan takes his time to butter a single piece of bread. It doesn't seem like he's thinking of a good response to give the other man, just that he needs to do the buttering first. “I personally drafted Blaine's first deed to Leo when he arrived,” he finally says. “Because, you see, Lord Anderson, a person can be gifted a slave but that person is not the slave's owner until he got a deed to the slave. I'm sure your friend will confirm that.”

The slaver nods towards Lord Anderson. “It's the new law, sir. It was made to avoid uncontrolled trade.”

“Exactly. A slave's owner is required to take care of his purchase and keep him or her in good and healthy conditions. Signing a deed to a slave essentially gives you some duties that might lead to legal consequences if they are not fulfilled. That was to deter a certain kind of behavior, so to speak. Now, according to this law, Leo counted as legal property belonging to Blaine's friend, Lady Sam, no matter the gifting process. That is why Blaine asked me to draft a deed to Leo registered to his name. He wanted the boy's documents to be in good order.”

“I don't see how this has anything to do with the current situation,” Lord Anderson comments, cutting a piece of toasted bread with fork and knife as if it was a steak.

“I'm getting there,” Alan smiles. “For the very same reason, Blaine called me a few months ago to draft another deed to Leo, this time registered to Cody's name. Your son wanted to make sure that, if something happened to him, heaven forbid, Cody will be able to take care of Leo as the law requires of him and that Leo won't suffer because of his departure. That is why, at present, Leo is Cody's property, not Blaine's.”

Alan gives Lord Anderson a piece of paper filled with a fine, thick cursive. All Cody can see as the document passes before his eyes are his name at the top of it and his own signature at the bottom, but he recognizes it anyway. Lord Anderson grabs it with two fingers and starts reading it, his face turning progressively greener as he goes on. “But the fact remains that, being Cody my son's husband, all his property belongs to my son.”

“That is not accurate,” Alan comments, after a bite of his bread with butter and jam. “There is a community property state resultant from the marriage, but Blaine purposefully set aside a few assets for Cody alone, of which I will be more than willing to discuss with you later if you want. And, as of eight months ago, Leo is part of those assets. In conclusion, you as temporary administrator of Blaine's estate have no sovereignty over Leo.”

Lord Anderson falls unusually quiet and passes the document to his own lawyer sitting to his right. The man looks nothing like Alan – he is ugly, old and wears clothes that seem to date back centuries while Alan is Blaine's age and as dashing as they come – and he needs a pair of glasses to read the document. It takes him ages to get to the bottom of it. Cody quickly becomes impatient, but looking over and seeing Alan perfectly at ease, and buttering a new piece of bread, helps him calm down a bit. 

“It is valid, Lord Anderson,” the lawyer confirms. There's an edge to his voice as if he knew that there will be hell to pay later for something he has no real control over, like the law. “Lord Cody is the legal owner of the slave.”  
“You can keep the document if you need it for your archives,” Alan smiles. “I have copies.”

The lawyer was about to give the document back but he withdraws his hand, clearing his throat. Lord Anderson is now on the verge of exploding, Cody can almost feel the heat radiating from his scrawny body. “The slave might be Cody's property,” he finally goes on, regaining control over his voice, “but it doesn't befit this household to keep him around unchained and treated as a peer.”

“The perception of what does or does not befit a family is a matter of opinion and the law doesn't really express itself so clearly about it. It is true, though, that a slave must wear golden anklets and manacles at all times to indicate his status. However, they must be of a light nature as they are not means of punishment. Punishment is of course permitted, but it has another regulation entirely which doesn't apply to the case at hand.”

“The boy never wears them,” Lord Anderson points out, angered.

“That is easily mended,” Alan says, brushing off some crumbs from his hands. “I'm sure Cody will provide Leo with the items required by the law. Isn't it right?”

Cody obviously nods. Leo hates his anklets and manacles, but they're nothing compared to being sold to someone else. Besides, Blaine had two sets of those made for him that look more like jewels than anything else, so he can show them off instead of feeling their weight. “Absolutely,” he confirms. “He's going to follow the rules.”

“Which means he won't sleep in your room,” Lord Anderson continues, coldly.

“The slave can't sleep in his master's bed, but he can sleep in his room,” Alan intervenes, calmly. “Especially if there aren't other facilities suitable for him in the house. I believe you have servants quarters in this manor, but not a proper harem, am I correct?”

“I don't see why we should.”

“From a legal standpoint, sex slaves fall into the trained labor category, so the house must meet other requirements to accommodate them. This too was established to better regulate sex slaves purchasing. In other words, it is legally so complicated and demanding to own a sex slave, and the sanctions for not doing it right are so high, that people think twice before buying these kind of slaves, and when they do, they tend to follow the rules to the letter.”

“Leo has a room in our bedroom,” Cody informs the people at the table, and he's so happy with how this is going that his voice is loud and clear. The room has been repurposed months ago as a wardrobe, but it can be turned back into a fake room for the time being, it is not that big of a deal. “Surely the ancient harem of the house, which has fallen into disuse so long ago, is unsuitable for Leo.”

“Indeed it is,” Alan nods.

Lord Anderson glares at both of them with such hatred that it's a miracle if they don't catch fire on the spot. “Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the law state that a married man cannot make use of a sex slave?”

“As I said, that is a matter of opinion. The law does not say when an individual should stop making use of a sex slave. In fact, as long as the sex slave is taken care of accordingly to the law, then people can do what they want. It's not uncommon for people to have sex slaves in the house and not saying it, but that doesn't mean that it is against the law, Lord Anderson. The same way someone could eat his every meal from a bowl on the floor like a dog. It might be considered indecent by his peers, but unless that bowl contains human remains, the law has no reason to intervene.

“What about infidelity?” Lord Anderson goes on. “That _is_ against the law. And, as much as I would have liked to avoid the subject with you, I know for a fact that Lord Cody is making use of the slave even when my son is not present.”

“Does Blaine know about that?” Alan asks Cody, already knowing the answer obviously.

Cody turns as red as the strawberry jam left on his plate. “Yes, sir.”

“Then, there are no grounds to legally proceed against him,” Alan shrugs. “These kind of accusations are only accepted in court if made by the rightful spouse. Unless you think Blaine will go for a marital infringement, then there is no infidelity to begin with.”

At that point, the only honorable thing Lord Anderson can do is stand up and silently leave the room, which he does, followed by his small retinue. In his unbroken succession of victories against them, this is undoubtedly a loss and he can't do anything but accept it.

*

Less than an hour later, Cody, Leo and Alan are alone in the living room. Leo is wearing his anklets and manacles, but he doesn't seem to mind them so much now that he's free again and well away from the dumpster he spent the last twelve hours in. It made look the dungeons Blaine kept him in for a week at the very beginning like a very wealthy inn, and he was hanging from a chain on the wall back then.

“I'm sorry I couldn't do more,” Alan apologizes. “The Army Law is ironclad, so he does have all the requirements to administer the estate while you don't. He's been smart enough to take advantage of the technicality.”

“It doesn't matter,” Cody smiles, holding Leo's hand. “I don't care about the money or the house, he can have it until Blaine's return. But I don't want him to be able to touch Leo.”

“He won't, trust me. Blaine made sure there is no way for Lord Anderson to get to him, unless through you,” Alan confirms again. Blaine knew there was no stronger condition than Cody's love for Leo's protection. “You do have a few manors out of the state, though, if you want. You could move there with Leo until Blaine returns. But, honestly, I wouldn't suggest that. Your presence here, under the public eye, will make harder for your father-in-law to do any real damage.”

Cody shakes his head. “No, I'm not leaving,” he says, a newfound determination in his eyes. “It's going to be hard to live under his reign, but we're going to make it.” 

“Well, he lost something he really wanted,” Alan comments. “You showed him that he can't have everything he wants or do always as he pleases. That is usually a hard blow to recover from for people like him. They are so used to get away with everything that, when they don't, they sometimes wither and back off.”

“I don't think he can wither more than he already did. He's dry like a dead leaf,” Leo mutters. “And I don't think he actually _knows_ how to back off. He will come back to bite our asses.”

“I got everything I want, as I said, he can keep the rest,” Cody says.

“And I will be here in a second if you need my help,” Alan smiles. “You know how to reach me.”

“Thank you.”

*

Later that night, Cody is all coiled up in Leo's arms. They moved back his old bed in the tiny slave room and pushed all their clothes in a corner. Alan said a sex slave can't sleep in his master's bed, but he didn't say anything about the master sleeping in the slave's bed. So that is what they're going to do. Lord Anderson retreated in Blaine's office after his demise and he hasn't come out ever since, but they are not so naive as to think that he won't. They will be ready to face him, tho.

“I have to tell you something.” Cody has been wondering if he should tell Leo this for the past two days now and he's still not sure. But he feels like he did a bad thing and, even if he doesn't intend to do it again, he doesn't want to lie about it. “But I don't want you to get mad.”

Leo was stroking Cody's hair, but he stops. “Now I'm worried,” he chuckles nervously.

Cody sighs and turns around in his arms to kneel in front of him. He's wearing only the top of one of Leo's pajamas and his thighs look extremely white against the blue of the fabric. He was wearing pants too at the beginning of the evening, but they were in Leo's way. “I did a thing I'm not proud of,” he says in a murmur. “I didn't do it on purpose, but I did it and I'm very sorry about it.”

That is all very confusing and complicated for Leo, and he's got the same amount of patience Blaine has for such long introductions, which is none. “Why don't you being by telling me what you did? It can't be that bad, anyway.”

Cody is not so sure about it, but there is no turning back now. “I had a dream,” he says, playing with the hem of his shirt as he sits down, his legs folded under his ass. “Me and Blaine, we were in the garden and he was building a swing. I was sitting on a blanket on the grass, and I was probably drawing even if I didn't see myself doing that. It was a beautiful day and I was happy. I know you must have been somewhere, but I...”

Leo smiles, suddenly understanding what's going on. Unlike Blaine, Cody is always really careful not to offend him with his actions or his words, and he gets sorry to the point of tears when he realizes that he did or said something wrong. “You were happy I wasn't there, so you could be alone with Blaine.”

Cody looks up, his eyes lucid. “I don't know why, I swear,” he sighs. “I like having you around. I don't know what is wrong with me. And then I woke up and there was Lord Anderson and he took you away. I thought I had done that, that I had wished you away somehow.”

Leo bursts out into laughs. “Okay, okay, calm down now,” he says, and then he can't help but pull him into his arms again and leave a kiss on his head. “Listen, you have many skills, actually you've got a lot of them, if you know what I mean, and I love them all, but you're not magical. You don't have the power to make that kind of things happen, okay?”

“But still, I was happy that you weren't there,” Cody insists. “I'm a horrible person.”

Leo shrugs. “I do that all the time,” Leo says, shamelessly. And when Cody looks up at him in shock, he adds, “They are just dreams, Cody. I don't want you to disappear. In fact, I don't think I could even deal with that man if you weren't there making him reasonable. It's just that my brain likes to create moments where it's just me and him. That's all. Sometimes it's just me and you instead, but do you think it means I don't want him?”

“No,” Cody answers. 

“It's okay if you dream to be alone with him and you like it,” Leo kisses his pouty lips and he enjoys seeing them parting right away. “I haven't always been here, anyway.”

Cody hugs him with such momentum that they end up falling on the mattress. “And I want you to stay,” he says, kissing him.

“Not even our personal in-house black witch managed to get rid of me,” he chuckles as he presses Cody's body against his own, feeling that they're both not quite ready to go to sleep yet. “I'm pretty sure we're safe on that side. We only need to hang on tight.”

“Until he comes back,” Cody whispers.

“Until he comes back.”


End file.
